Kartell Audrey Chair by Piero Lissoni

Founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli, Kartell is a leading design company and one of the symbols of Italian design around the world. A success story told through an incredible series of products by contemporary design icons– Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola, Piero Lissoni, Antonio Citterio - Kartell furniture, lighting, and decor have become part of the domestic landscape.

The ongoing evolution in the use of plastics and experimentation with new technologies and processes are fundamental for Kartell, which has always strived to innovate its functional performance and the aesthetic qualities of its products. New properties such as satin-finish, transparency, flexibility, resistance to atmospheric agents, softness and touch, have been introduced to plastic in surprising and special colors, radically transforming the perception of a plastic product from a merely functional object to a veritable luxury item.

Kartell know-how consists of pushing innovation to the limit, enabling designers to express their creativity with new technologies and materials in order to create real “industrial revolutions” within the home.

Piero Lissoni began his career as a furniture designer after receiving his degree in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano. In 1986 he founded his own studio, which specialized in architecture, furniture, interiors, and graphic design, and produced a diverse architecture portfolio that included designs for showrooms, yachts, private residences and hotels.

Lissoni is inspired by many different design elements, but also specifically by designers such as Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm. Lissoni's design principle is never to design for a specific function or purpose, but rather to design for human beings.

In 2004 Knoll introduced Lissoni’s Divina Lounge Collection, originally designed for his longtime client, Living Divina. Two years later, he and his studio’s design manager, Marc Krusin, co-designed the wa office system for Knoll International.

For Fritz Hansen Piero Lissoni designed the Lissoni Series in 2006, and the Alphabet collection, a modular sofa series, in 2008.